The Paris-based startup is tackling the latency issues inherent in remote device operation by synchronizing video, audio, and sensor data in real time. Lightspeed, the venture firm behind Anthropic and Mistral AI, led the funding round, betting that physical AI will only succeed if the underlying control systems can handle massive scale. While current fleets of autonomous vehicles are limited to a few thousand units, Kempf aims to provide the architecture for managing millions of remote devices.
In section Startups & Technology
The VLC architect behind the next wave of remote robotics
Jean-Baptiste Kempf, the open-source engineer behind VLC Media Player’s six billion downloads, is shifting his focus from digital video to physical autonomy. His new startup, Kyber, has secured $5 million to build the infrastructure layer for controlling millions of robots and drones with the precision of a live video stream.
Kyber’s technology borrows heavily from the streaming optimizations Kempf mastered during his tenure as CTO at the cloud gaming firm Shadow. By treating remote robotics like high-speed video delivery, the platform ensures that every millisecond of control input reaches the hardware without lag. The company currently operates with a staff of 25, maintaining offices in Paris, San Francisco, and Singapore to support commercial deployments in defense, telecommunications, and robotics. Following his open-source roots, Kempf maintains a public version of the project while selling enterprise-grade features and hands-on deployment services to large-scale clients.
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first!